Marques

The Great Marques, Available Through PFS

The cars you’re likely to find Premier Financial Services clients leasing are some of the same cars you’ll find at a supercar track day or a major concours d’elegance or even on the Mille Miglia Storica in Italy. In fact, when you attend a concours event, some of the entrants you see may well be cars leased through PFS. Imagine that – acquiring a classic by one of the world’s great marques in much the same way you’d lease a new luxury sedan.

The word “marque” is of French origin, and it’s not snobbery that leads people to use it instead of “brand.” In today’s social media-driven marketing world, “brand” just doesn’t capture the passion, the intrigue and even occasional controversy that pepper the histories of great automotive marques like Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lancia, Maserati, Packard, Duesenberg, Porsche, Bentley, McLaren, Cobra, Rolls-Royce and others. The automotive leasing experts at PFS know the great marques well, so when you talk to them about financing your dream car, they speak your language.

Great marques brought technological leaps and landmark designs.

Each became great by the passion of visionary engineers, designers and financiers who risked all to build them. The legacies of some, like Enzo Ferrari and Ferdinand Porsche, live on at a level of success that was perhaps beyond even their most ambitious dreams.

Great marques that disappeared long ago continue to live vibrant second lives in the hearts and garages of collectors. Consider Errett Lobban Cord, a visionary with perhaps poor timing. His dream to combine Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg into a luxury car empire crumbled amid Depression fallout. Those three marques epitomized 1920s and 1930s grandeur, coachbuilt style and innovative engineering and remain among the most sought-after American collector cars today.

Some great marques have sprung from the humblest of roots.

In Europe, Ferdinand Porsche engineered the great Auto Union racecars of the 1930s, and then, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the Volkswagen Type 1, a.k.a. Beetle. His genius enabled him to build the first Beetle-based Porsches that birthed a sports car and racing dynasty, with today’s astounding 918 Spyder – just out of production – as the pinnacle. Leasing a piece of Porsche history, like a 911 Carrera RS 2.7, is business as usual for PFS.

In America, the racer’s touch has been known to turn humble hardware into world champions. A few years after driving an Aston Martin to victory at Le Mans, an overalls-wearing Texan named Carroll Shelby put a Ford V8 into the lithe English AC Ace roadster to create the Cobra, and then applied special tuning to an inexpensive little coupe called the Mustang. Success with both put Shelby at the helm of Ford’s GT program, which would lead to dramatic battles against Ferrari in the 1960s, including, of course, winning Le Mans four times.

Image Source: 1966 Ford Shelby GT (Steve Serio)

Racing has more often than not been integral to the story of many great marques and today no doubt contributes to their value as collectibles. These rising values can make leasing through PFS an even more attractive option when considering how to finance your vintage or classic car purchase.

Behind some great marques, you’ll find … a tractor?

Lamborghini made tractors before it began building GTs to challenge Ferrari’s road cars, and tractor manufacturing provided David Brown with the capital to buy moribund Aston Martin in the late 1940s. In Spain, Hispano-Suiza, a Rolls-Royce contemporary, sold its automotive assets to truck and bus maker Pegaso, which from 1951-1958 built its own fabulous Z-102 and Z-103 sports cars – but fewer than 90 of them.

Foreign intrigue and strange bedfellows.

Like aristocracies, great marques have also been known for foreign intrigue and strange bedfellows. Some, including Aston Martin, Maserati, and Lamborghini, have gone through multiple owners of multiple nationalities. Chrysler once owned Lamborghini, which is now part of the Volkswagen Group. And today, Chrysler itself is in the same FCA automotive empire that currently controls Ferrari and Maserati, once fierce rivals on road and track.

Image Source: 1957 Maserati 200 Si (B. Noon)

Bugatti, originally the French product of an Italian-born designer Etorre Bugatti, was revived as another supercar offering of the Volkswagen Group – which also counts Bentley and Porsche in its global portfolio. Rolls-Royce had owned Bentley from the 1930s until the late-1990s and then landed separately into the arms of BMW. Both Bentley and Rolls are today enjoying their greatest level of success building spectacular automobiles while still maintaining their famed exclusivity.

Those machinations have merely added to the lore behind great marques. Their modern models are in high demand in showrooms, and their classics remain major draws at auctions. Opportunities to possess such cars come and go quickly, however. And so it pays to have PFS as a partner working with you, ready with funds and logistic support that enable you to bid to win at world-class auctions and then lease your treasured car.

Imagine, acquiring a car like a Ferrari 250 GT California, a Packard Darrin roadster, an Isotta Fraschini or V-16 Cadillac by leasing, as you might a new Range Rover. PFS clients don’t need to imagine – they do it.

The Premier Difference

Along with niche-market leasing of the great marques, Premier also specializes in finding resources for appraisals, transportation, restoration and more through partnerships with world-class organizations such as Cosdel International who assists with the importation and exportation process during international transactions.

Since 1997, Premier Financial Services has been helping clients obtain their dream vehicles through the PFS Simple Lease program, earning Premier the distinction as the nation’s leading lessor of exotic, vintage, highline and luxury motorcars. With a standard of excellence that is unsurpassed in the industry, largely due to the committed team of specialists , Premier is ready to assist you every step of the way. Contact us today and make the car you dream about a genuine reality.

Image Source: 1954 Mercedes-Benz SL 300 (Dennis N)

Go Ahead, Make Your Marque:

Here’s a sampling of recent Premier leases including some of the greatest marques in automotive history.

The PFS Simple Lease Process:

You’re Only 5 Steps Away from Living Your Dream

Step 1: Select a Vehicle

Step 2: Establish Lease Terms

Step 3: Submit Your Application

Step 4: Sign Your Contracts

Step 5: Drive Off in Your New Car

Need help finding your dream car? Visit the News & Events section to view upcoming auctions in your area. Premier Financial Services not only offers tips on how to prepare, but also gives details on the top auctions taking place, including those by leading automotive auction houses Gooding & Company, Bonhams, Barrett-Jackson, RM Sotheby’s, Mecum and many others in major cities and venues nationwide.